Orthopaedic surgeon Samantha Tross has been elected to the Council of the Royal College of Surgeons of England by her peers.
The prestigious role will allow Sam to contribute to college policy which, in turn, influences surgeons nationwide on issues including training, safe surgical practice, examinations and supporting successive generations of new surgeons.
Sam, who works at Ealing Hospital, said: “It’s an honour and a privilege to be elected. I intend to take the role and responsibility seriously and be a credit to myself, the college, the trust and my fellow surgeons at large.”
Her areas of interest include protecting time for surgical training, creating a working environment where people feel valued and a sense of belonging, equity in outcomes for surgical training, and ensuring a pipeline for future surgeons.
Samantha said: “I apparently told my father I wanted to be a surgeon when I was a little girl. I have no idea where that came from beyond being an avid reader.”
She arrived in the UK from Guyana as an 11-year-old and says boarding school taught her independence and people skills, which both proved indispensable later in life.
Samantha added: “I wasn’t aware I was the first black women to qualify as an orthopaedic surgeon at the time and it has never been an issue for me.
“I was lucky to come from a country – Guyana – where there were black people in positions of authority so don’t think twice about setting my sights high.”
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